A sleight of foot

Martin’s 2 onside kicks put U-Hi on its way

Scoring summary

After one surprise onside kick, the opposing team should be ready for the next one. Right?

Such was not the case at Joe Albi Stadium Friday night. Each of Trevor Martin’s two onside kicks in the second quarter were recovered by his teammates, and each led to a touchdown in University’s 44-6 victory over Rogers in Greater Spokane League action.

“Those were amazing,” Martin said, marveling at his own work. “We didn’t think we would get it just because it’s an onside kick and really, those don’t work. I had two of the best onside kicks of my life. They were just not suspecting it.”

The Titans (1-4) won their first game of the 2013 season, while the Pirates (0-5) remained winless.

The first onside kick came after Martin kicked a 27-yard field goal to give University a 3-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half. Senior quarterback Jeff Beaty then hit Martin down the right sideline for a 45-yard score.

But why stop with one?

On the following kickoff, Martin curved his body toward the left sideline at the last moment as he approached the football, kicking downward into the turf and spiking the ball high in the air for his teammates to claim.

“We had seen it on film a little bit, and (Martin) does a great job kicking an onside kick,” Titans coach Rob Bartlett said. “Realistically, we could probably do it darn near every time and probably get half of them.”

After sputtering on offense the first 1 1/2 quarters, the onside kicks provided the Titans with the spark they needed.

“It was a big deal,” Bartlett said. “I think it really got our motor running a little bit and put them on their heels. It did exactly what we wanted it to do.”

Martin put his stamp on the game in a big way with his onside kicks, five extra points and the field goal. He also set the Titans up with great field position on multiple occasions with his punts, and he also caught four balls for 98 yards and two touchdowns.

The only thing he didn’t do was play his usual safety position – but that’s because Bartlett wanted to “rest him a little bit.”

“He’s our guy,” Bartlett said. “Everybody has at least one of them hopefully, but he’s our do-anything. He’s our guy.”

The Titans worked the ground game in the second half, salting the game away with Bryce Williamson, who rushed for 145 yards and two scores in the game’s final two periods.

His 88-yard touchdown burst on University’s first possession of the second half gave the Titans a 23-0 lead.